A short cut each time and cut regularly so as you don't end up with those unsightly lines of brown dead grass. The weed seeds cannot be helped but again regular mowing will keep them in check._________________“It’s my field. It’s my child. I nursed it. I nourished it. I saw to its every want. I dug the rocks out of it with my bare hands and I made a living thing of it!”

Grass clippings can be used for weed control at the base of your plants, whilst retaining moisture and adding organic matter/nutrients to the soil.
For best results spread no more than an inch or two depth of weed free clippings at the base of the plant, avoiding its main stems. Do not add any more clippings until the previous batch has broken down.

Mowings are great for a weed suppressant but, as always, there's a downside. The damp environment you create is a haven for slugs - but you can't have everything. One other potential problem is slipping. Once my adjacent rows of peas and broad beans are above ground, there's quite a waiting period before one needs access to them, so I've spread a 3-4 inch layer of mowings down the corridor between them. It works well but, being on a slope, the inviting looking carpet of brown hides a slimy underlayer which can slide from under you when walked on. Just a precaution._________________A novice gardener on newly cultivated, stoney ground.

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